GPJA #461 (part 3 of 3): International news and analysis

STATS OF THE WEEK

– Of the world’s 200 richest people, Bloomberg News estimates, at least a third “control part of their personal fortune through an offshore holding company” or other entity that helps make income more difficult to tax.

– “The U.S. economy has recovered for households with net worth of $500,000 or more, a new study shows. The recession continues for almost everyone else. Wealthy households boosted their net worth by 21.2 percent in the aftermath of the recession, according to the study released today by the Pew Research Center. The rest of America lost 4.9 percent of household wealth from 2009 to 2011.”

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

” Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side now here in this country of ours… you, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land. They have become our sons as well.” Ataturk, 1934

“So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men” : Voltaire.

“Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.” Albert Einstein

“The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men”: Plato

“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.” Galileo Galilei

“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” – Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

 

FEATURES

May Day marked by global workers’ protests – Hundreds of thousands march in Cuba in support of workers’ rights, and in honor of late Venezuelan ally Hugo Chavez. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/05/20135175751177425.html

May Day: Reflecting on Bangladesh factory disaster and corporate terror http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/05/201351104516268273.html

A Desperate Situation at Guantánamo: Over 130 Prisoners on Hunger Strike, Dozens Being Force-Fed http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/29/a_desperate_situation_at_guantnamo_over

Noam Chomsky: Global Democratic Uprisings and New Challenges to US Empire http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/14392-noam-chomsky-global-democratic-uprisings-and-new-challenges-to-us-empire

Can corporations co-exist with democracy? Rebecca Fisher of Corporate Watch is editor of Managing Democracy, Managing Dissent: Capitalism, Democracy and the Organisation of Consent. A talk given by Rebecca Fisher of Corporate Watch to Democracy Café at the launch meeting on 11 April 2013. The event was organised by the Real Democracy working group of Occupy London. http://aworldtowin.net/resources/ManagingDemocracyManagingDissent.html

Over 100 Million Women Lead Migrant Workers Worldwide http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/04/over-100-million-women-lead-migrant-workers-worldwide/

Save the Children reports that a million newborns every year die the same day they are born. Most of these babies die of infections and could be treated with inexpensive antibiotics. http://www.juancole.com/2013/05/million-newborns-children.html

Asef Bayat: Revolution in Bad Times How, then, are we to make sense of the Arab revolts, two years after the ousting of Mubarak and Ben Ali?

http://newleftreview.org/II/80/asef-bayat-revolution-in-bad-times

Tariq Ali responds to Asef Bayat. http://newleftreview.org/II/80/tariq-ali-between-past-and-future

WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS

Why we should pull the plug on privatising electricity http://theconversation.com/why-we-should-pull-the-plug-on-privatising-electricity-10824

Austerity is hurting our health, say researchers http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/28/us-austerity-idUSBRE93R0G820130428

From Spring Swoon to the Big Crash – Back to Recession by MIKE WHITNEY http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/04/26/back-to-recession/print

May Day 2013: Fragile Economies, Aggressive Bosses and Struggling Workers http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/813.php

Political Corruption and the “Free Trade” Racket http://blog.ourfuture.org/20130430/political-corruption-and-the-free-trade-racket

WTO: Who will be the next head? Contest for the post of WTO director-general pits Washington’s candidate and programme against most of the world. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/05/20135562626569496.html

The War on Wages and The Road to Bangladesh

Political corruption and the ‘free trade’ racket – The US-EU free trade pact and TPP are about securing regulatory gains for major corporate interests, writes Baker. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/04/201342954234869993.html

Everything Is Rigged: The Biggest Price-Fixing Scandal Ever http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/everything-is-rigged-the-biggest-financial-scandal-yet-20130425#ixzz2Rbls3z00

LAND, LABOUR AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Change the System, Not the Climate: To Reclaim Our Future, We Must Change the Present. Our Proposal for Changing the System and not the Climate. Climate Space, World Social Forum 2013 http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/810.php

New York conference charts path toward ‘System change not climate change’ http://johnriddell.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/new-york-conference-charts-path-toward-system-change-not-climate-change/

Greenhouse gas levels highest in 3m years http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/greenhouse-gas-levels-highest-in-3m-years-20130428-2imrr.html

West, Texas explosion the price of our fertilizer addiction http://sgnews.ca/2013/04/29/west-texas-explosion-the-price-of-our-fertilizer-addiction/

Why unionists must build the climate change fight http://climateandcapitalism.com/2013/05/02/why-unionists-must-build-the-climate-change-fight/

To reclaim our future, we must change the present! A program for changing the system, not the climate http://climateandcapitalism.com/2013/04/23/to-reclaim-our-future-we-must-change-the-present-a-program-for-changing-the-system-not-the-climate/

Ellen Cantarow, Big Energy Means Big Pollution http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175695/tomgram%3A_ellen_cantarow%2C_big_energy_means_big_pollution/

Foundations for the Consolidation and Action of an Ecosocialist Network http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/819.php

CULTURAL DISSENT

Book Launch: Continental Crucible – Big Business, Workers and Unions in the Transformation of North America http://www.socialistproject.ca/leftstreamed/ls171.php

“The Trials of Muhammad Ali”: Boxing Champ’s Refusal to Serve in Vietnam Was the Fight of His Life http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/26/the_trials_of_muhammad_ali_boxing

Isabel Allende on “Maya’s Notebook,” Drug Addiction, 1973 Chilean Coup & Death of Poet Pablo Neruda http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/30/isabel_allende_on_mayas_notebook_drug

Eduardo Galeano, Chronicler of Latin America’s “Open Veins,” on His New Book “Children of the Days” http://www.democracynow.org/2013/5/8/eduardo_galeano_chronicler_of_latin_americas

AFGHANISTAN

A continuing surge of violence: Helen Redmond reports from Kabul on the latest developments in the war as the date that Barack Obama has promised withdrawal of U.S. troops approaches. http://socialistworker.org/2013/04/25/a-continuing-surge-of-violence

Afghanistan, Slush Funds and Sleaze http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34780.htm

Shameful exposé of Afghan war waste but not enough grunt in media scrutiny http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/articles/shameful-expos-afghan-war-waste-not-enough-grunt-media-scrutiny

AUSTRALIA

Australian aboriginals learn how to read and write with the help of Cuba http://links.org.au/node/3046

In Canada and Australia, shameful treatment of Aboriginal peoples http://www.rogerannis.com/in-canada-and-australia-shameful-treatment-of-aboriginal-peoples/

Hold the Front Page! We Need Free Media, Not an Order of Mates By John Pilger http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34879.htm

Australia’s Boom is Anything but for its Aboriginal People – The story of the first Australians is still poverty and humiliation, while their land yields the world’s biggest resources boom By John Pilger http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34770.htm

Genocide against Australia’s Aboriginal people is one theme that runs through the history of the last 225 years. The failure to recognise that genocide is another ongoing theme. ANZAC Day, the supposed symbol and celebration of the ‘nation’ denies this most obvious truth – Australian society was founded on the genocide of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and that genocide continues today. http://enpassant.com.au/2013/04/25/lest-we-forget-the-war-against-aborigines-has-never-ended-2/

The myth of ANZAC Day in Australia http://enpassant.com.au/2013/04/24/the-myth-of-anzac-day-3/

Carlo’s Corner: Gallipoli — never forget… and never forgive – Some things should never be forgotten, and some things should never be forgiven. Both apply to the mass slaughter of ordinary people in World War I, including Gallipoli. http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/53867

BAHRAIN

With Father and Sister Imprisoned, Exiled Bahraini Activist Maryam Alkhawaja Condemns Ongoing Abuses http://www.democracynow.org/2013/5/10/with_father_and_sister_imprisoned_exiled

BANGLADESH

Special Report: How textile kings weave a hold on Bangladesh http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/02/us-bangladesh-garments-special-report-idUSBRE9411CX20130502

New fatal fire as talks continue on Bangladeshi safety plan http://www.industriall-union.org/new-fatal-fire-as-talks-continue-on-bangladeshi-safety-plan

Bangladeshis burn factories to protest unsafe conditions http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/bangladeshis-burn-factories-to-protest-unsafe-conditions/article11589928/

With Bangladesh Toll Over 700, ‘Which Brands Accept Blood on Their Labels?’ http://www.thenation.com/blog/174184/congressman-asks-which-fashion-brands-accept-blood-their-labels

Factory boss arrested as rage hits streets http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/53940

Make garment factories in Bangladesh safe http://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=1813

Made in Bangladesh – The Terror of Capitalism By Vijay Prashad: Famous name brands were stitched here, as are clothes that hang on the satanic shelves of Wal-Mart. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34756.htm

Survivor of Bangladesh’s Tazreen Factory Fire Urges U.S. Retailers to Stop Blocking Worker Safety http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/25/survivor_of_bangladeshs_tazreen_factory_fire

Bangladesh Workers vent May Day fury after disaster http://www.labourstart.org/2013/

BOLIVIA

Using the Cold War: The Truman Administration’s Response to the Bolivian National Revolution http://boliviarising.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/using-cold-war-truman-administrations.html

Bolivia Earns $16 Billion from Energy Industry Since Nationalization http://boliviarising.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/bolivia-earns-16-billion-from-energy.html

Bolivian President Morales Shuns USAID: Why He May Not Need The Money http://boliviarising.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/bolivian-president-morales-shuns-usaid.html

Once Again on So-called “Extractivism” by Álvaro García Linera http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2013/gl290413.html

There are no recipes for socialism’: interview with Hugo Moldiz, Bolivian Marxist http://links.org.au/node/3318

CANADA

Jim Stanford, senior economist for the Canadian Auto Workers, explains the important role the union movement plays in the Canadian economy.

Only certain types of tragedies spark swift political action: Tim Harper http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/04/28/only_certain_types_of_tragedies_spark_swift_political_action_tim_harper.html

Building Strategically: An Introduction to Solidarity Halifax http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/814.php

CHINA

Hong Kong port strike is over http://www.itfglobal.org/press-area/index.cfm/pressdetail/8949

COLOMBIA

March for Peace Floods Streets of Bogota http://www.justiceforcolombia.org/news/article/1395/march-for-peace-floods-streets-of-bogota

CUBA

Cinema in the Service of Revolution – Confronting Polemics With Alfredo Guevara http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/04/26/confronting-polemics-with-alfredo-guevara/

KOREA

The Need To Work For Peace On The Korean Peninsula http://blogs.lclark.edu/hart-landsberg/2013/05/02/the-need-to-work-for-peace-on-the-korean-peninsula/

Prosecutable US Crimes against Humanity in Korea http://palestinechronicle.com/prosecutable-us-crimes-against-humanity-in-korea/

North Korea threatened by rogue nuclear state

http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/articles/international/16404-north-korea-threatened-by-rogue-nuclear-state

LIBYA

Libya adopts law barring Kadhafi-era officials http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/17025781/libya-adopts-law-barring-kadhafi-era-officials/

MALAYSIA

120,000 protest fraudulent election (+ photos) http://links.org.au/node/3342

MALI

France parliament votes to extend combat mission while UN Security Council readies a policing force http://tinyurl.com/cktta8j

PACIFIC

UN Concerned over Persistent Papua Abuse http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2013/05/03/074477733/UN-Concerned-over-Persistent-Papua-Abuse

AUDIO: Support for media institutions will boost press freedom, says academic http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/nz-support-media-institutions-will-boost-press-freedom-says-academic-8277

Disturbing trends for journalists’ protection http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1305/S00050/disturbing-trends-for-journalists-protection.htm

PAKISTAN

Pakistan High Court Declares US Drone Strikes as Illegal http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34883.htm

PALESTINE

Israel’s tools: humiliation, degradation & terror http://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/israels-tools-humiliation-degradation-terror/

Six Israeli security chiefs stun world http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/06/six-israeli-security-chiefs-stun-the-world/

Stephen Hawking Confirms Support of Israel Boycott

Amnesty calls on Israel to release Palestinian academic jailed “to deter left-wing activists” http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen-clare-murphy/amnesty-calls-israel-release-palestinian-academic-jailed-deter-left-wing

PORTUGAL

‘Time for another April 25 revolution’ http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/53974

SOUTH AFRICA

Speech delivered by prominent South African politician, former political prisoner and anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada at the “Freedom & Dignity” international conference in Ramallah, Palestine on April 27, which coincided with ‘Freedom Day’ in South Africa. http://palestinechronicle.com/dignity-and-freedom-the-struggle-for-it-within-prison/

SPAIN

Spain Is Beyond Doomed: The 2 Scariest Unemployment Charts Ever http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/04/spain-is-beyond-doomed-the-2-scariest-unemployment-charts-ever/275324/

Cuban exiles evicted by police in Spain – a harsh lesson in “Western democracy” http://www.marxist.com/cuban-exiles-evicted-by-police-in-spain-a-harsh-lesson-in-western-democracy.htm

Anti-eviction pickets drive gov’t rage http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/53960

SYRIA

Syria and sarin gas: US claims have a very familiar ring http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-and-sarin-gas-us-claims-have-a-very-familiar-ring-8591214.html

Robert Fisk on Syria’s Civil War, Chemical Weapons “Theater” & Obama’s Backing of Israeli Strikes http://www.democracynow.org/2013/5/7/robert_fisk_on_syrias_civil_war

Seumus Milne: The west and its allies cynically bleed Syria to weaken Iran –

If western politicians were really interested in saving lives, they would use their leverage to negotiate a settlement http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/07/west-cynically-bleed-syria-weaken-iran

Syria, US Wars of Aggression, and the Wrong ‘Red Lines’: The world we inhabit badly needs red lines, but “the right red lines” By Richard Falk http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34878.htm

The Free Syrian Army is being taken over by groups of jihadist thugs http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/8900491/a-corrupted-revolution/

UK

The Churchill you didn’t know: Thousands voted him the greatest Briton – but did they know about his views on Gandhi, gassing and Jews… http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2002/nov/28/features11.g21

10 popular myths debunked: We’ve all heard some of the great half-truths doing the rounds: a third of Britons are immigrants; benefit fraud costs us billions; you’re never more that 6ft from a rat. But how do they square up to reality? http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/apr/24/10-great-urban-myths-debunked

Exclusive: Len McCluskey declares war on shadow cabinet “Blairites” http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/04/exclusive-len-mccluskey-declares-war-shadow-cabinet-blairites

USA

Behind the Cleveland Kidnappings, A Culture of “Toxic Masculinity” & Gender-Based Violence http://www.democracynow.org/2013/5/9/behind_the_cleveland_kidnappings_a_culture

Did Police Negligence & Suspect Ariel Castro’s Unpunished Domestic Abuse Prolong Victims’ Captivity? http://www.democracynow.org/2013/5/9/did_police_negligence_suspect_ariel_castros

Chicago Workers Open New Cooperatively Owned Factory Five Years After Republic Windows Occupation http://www.democracynow.org/2013/5/9/chicago_workers_open_new_cooperatively_owned

“Love Has No Color”: Georgia High School Students Set to Hold First Integrated Prom http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/26/love_has_no_color_georgia_high

Wealth Gap Among Races Widened Since Recession http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/business/racial-wealth-gap-widened-during-recession.html?smid=tw-share

Divestment at UCSB by Richard Falk http://richardfalk.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/divestment-at-ucsb/

Austerity Has Cost The U.S. Economy 2.2 Million Jobs: Study http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/06/austerity-jobs_n_3224762.html

America’s shameful history in Vietnam finally revealed http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/gerry-caplan/2013/05/americas-shameful-history-vietnam-finally-revealed

Going Back to Class: Why We Need to Make University Free, and How We Can Do It http://nonsite.org/article/why-we-need-to-make-college-free-going-back-to-class

Adidas Caves, Pays Garment Workers What They’re Owed http://www.labornotes.org/blogs/2013/05/adidas-caves-pays-garment-workers-what-they-re-owed

A Desperate Situation at Guantánamo: Over 130 Prisoners on Hunger Strike, Dozens Being Force-Fed http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/29/a_desperate_situation_at_guantnamo_over

Former US Drone Pilot On The Effects Of Killing By Remote Control http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34884.htm

Death is Preferable to Life at Obama’s Guantanamo http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34887.htm

How the One Percent Rules http://www.thenation.com/article/173867/how-the-one-percent-rules

“Manufacturing Consent” 25 Years Later

USA: FAST FOOD AND RETAIL ORGANISING

AFL-CIO’s Non-Union Worker Group Headed Into Workplaces in Fifty States http://www.thenation.com/blog/173875/afl-cios-non-union-worker-group-headed-workplaces-fifty-states

Hundreds of fast food and retail workers went on strike in Chicago http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/04/24/fast-food-workers-campaign-goes-national-with-strike-in-chicago/

Fast food and retail workers hit the streets of downtown Chicago on Monday in a “fight for 15” an hour http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/04/24-1

Supply Chain Workers Tell Walmart’s Dirty Secrets http://www.labornotes.org/blogs/2013/04/supply-chain-workers-tell-walmart%E2%80%99s-dirty-secrets

Fast Food Workers Strike in St. Louis http://www.thenation.com/blog/174246/fast-food-workers-strike-st-louis

29 Shocking Facts That Prove That College Education In America Is A Giant Money Making Scam http://tinyurl.com/cavjrm6

Fast food walkout planned in Chicago http://www.salon.com/2013/04/24/fast_food_walkout_planned_in_chicago/

Fast-food workers walk for better pay http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-mag-mile-strike-advance-20130424,0,2460539.story

Detroit Fast Food Workers Join Strike Wave http://www.labornotes.org/2013/05/detroit-fast-food-workers-join-strike-wave

Retail and Fast Food Workers Strike in Chicago’s Magnificent Mile http://www.thenation.com/article/174016/retail-and-fast-food-workers-strike-chicagos-magnificent-mile

VENEZUELA

Imperialism prepares fascist movement to defeat revolution http://links.org.au/node/3321

Hugo Chávez: Tribune of world’s dispossessed/Tribuna de los desposeídos del mundo http://links.org.au/node/3320

New president of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro